Par For the Course

This was my comment regarding an article that was floating around Facebook recently describing the verbal attacks by pro-choicers against legislators who were working to pass a pro-life bill in Texas last week. Specifically, they received “death threats, harassing emails and phone calls and calls for their daughters to be raped.” You can read the full story here. Many Christians, of course, responded with indignation, which then led to further responses by the pro-choice crowd. Even my own restrained comment received a rather harsh reply, basically saying that at least they weren’t bombing clinics. As I perused the various articles related to this news and the subsequent comments, I noticed that this was a common retort by the pro-choice crowd. In one sense, they have a point – that a murder is much worse than a death threat – and this point is hard to argue when your anger is directed at the death/rape threats rather than at the act of abortion itself. Still, though, despite this point, the pro-choice crowd really doesn’t have a leg to stand on with this response, and “par for the course” sums this up quite nicely.

First, it’s important to separate the responses from the act of abortion itself. My first inclination was to respond to the “at least we’re not bombing clinics” crowd with a stat on the number of abortions compared to the number of deaths via anti-abortion extremists (in case you’re wondering, there have been 8 recorded deaths in the United States… there were probably that many abortions alone this morning). I quickly changed my mind, though, because the issue is not abortion vs. responses, and it does a huge disservice to the pro-life movement to simply couch this in terms of escalated violence – primarily because we are on the same side when it comes to bombing/shooting deaths. They’re heinous acts of violence that really have nothing to do with the pro-life stance. This is vital, because it’s the response that reveals the heart and intentions of each side.

Most pro-choicers take issue with the fact that they are labeled as “baby-killers” and “pro-death.” I know (and love) many pro-choicers and recognize that at the heart of their beliefs is not a desire to see children die, but rather, is a misconstrued idea of what it means to have control over one’s own body. The disconnect between what they believe and what actually occurs is often seen in their responses. Exhibit A is the article above. While I doubt that most who issued the death and rape threats would actually follow through on such actions, it does reveal how their thought process works. Death is seen as an option when removing unwanted/undesirable roadblocks to their worldview. In this case, there are men and women (legislators) who oppose their views on abortion. This angers the pro-choicers so much that death becomes a viable option for removing the opposing worldview. Without justifying the deaths caused by anti-abortion extremists, let me point out the difference between the two. In the case of the anti-abortionist, death is seen as a necessary evil in the midst of war. They see themselves as mercenaries carrying out a mission to wipeout the bad guy. The impetus for killing is that it prevents more killing. This is still wrong, but is vastly different than the worldview of the pro-choicer, where death is simply a means to an end (when you think about this in terms of a conservative vs. liberal view of foreign policy, the irony is pretty astounding). This is why the pro-choice response of hateful death threats is “par for the course.” The choice to have an abortion is often simply about using death to remove an unwanted/undesirable roadblock in their life. If they ever convince themselves that a pro-life legislator was as insignificant as an unborn child, then we’ll probably start seeing more murders in that realm of life too (because, to be honest, it really doesn’t have much to do with the legality of the matter, for – as the pro-choicer likes to point out – there will always be abortions, legal or illegal).

As if to emphasize this characteristic of the pro-choice worldview, the day after I read the article above was July 4th, and I read a number of patriotic themed posts encouraging us to be thankful for our freedoms and to work hard to maintain them – including the freedom of choice in regards to abortion. Now, I could write a whole other post on the relationship between our freedom and the birth of our nation, but I will acknowledge that Independence Day is a day to be thankful. What is normally emphasized on this day is the sacrifice that our military personnel have made – past and present – but, in actuality, we should also be thankful for all the sacrifices that are made. This includes firemen, policemen, medical personal and all who dedicate their lives to helping others, the everyday Joe who runs toward danger to assist another, or simply the parent who gives their life to their family through the daily grind of perseverance, love and hard work. Independence Day is a day to remember that our country has a proud history of men and women who sacrifice themselves for others in all walks of life…. so, I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or get angry at the suggestion that we recognize the most selfish act imaginable on this day – that a mother would kill her child in order for her own desires to be met. This is the epitome of selfishness – the anti-Independence Day… but it is also “par for the course.”

Horrible! Sometimes I sympathize with the anti-abortion extremists when I read stats like that. As I was researching for this post, I read up on the 6 men who were charged with the 8 deaths. Four of them seem certifiably nuts (including Eric Rudolph, who is the one that bombed the Atlanta Olympics in ’96), based on their history and the way they reacted after they committed murder (one of them killed two receptionists and didn’t even target the doctor), but two of them shot their victim (doctors), laid down their weapons, called 9-1-1, and plead guilty in court. One of them was sentenced to die and when his time came, he still claimed to have no remorse for what he did, saying it was a defensive tactic. Most of these men were affiliated with The Army of God, so they certainly approached their “missions” with a militaristic mindset… and like most militaristic campaigns, a kill-first mindset only serves to cause more problems and prevent any move forward. This is why I refuse to label them as “pro-life.”